


Protector

by Apostat3



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Fantasy, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 03:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18908824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apostat3/pseuds/Apostat3
Summary: Local barbarian cuts some dudes up then wonders if that's morally reprehensible.





	Protector

Will stood just inside the edge of the treeline, squinting through the heavy rain and alcohol-induced haze to see his targets. He had heard enough about these men from rumours in the area, and they'd been more than enough to spur the protector into action. Seemingly, this group of gangsters had been extorting the innocent of this area for everything they had, and this wasn't something that Will was just about to let stand. Will closed his eyes and took another drink from his bottle as he stood thinking, nodding his head gently as he tried to hold on to his thoughts.

As soon as he heard talking, his eyes darted open again. Looking over, he could see the group of bandits he'd been tracking, five rough looking figures dressed in deep red cloaks and armour. Each wore weapons openly and Will had no doubt they knew full well how to use them. Taking one final drink, Will tossed the empty bottle aside and pulled his sword from his back, the ancient black blade immediately made to look dull in the harsh rain and low, grey light.

Will was seen as soon as he left the treeline. Without the cover, the harsh rain came down fully on Will, pelting his bare back like a thousand tiny daggers. The water made his tattoo glimmer and shift, the large spiral pattern appearing like a whirlpool. The group saw Will, and that he was armed, and instinctively drew their own weapons. 

“You lost, laddy?” One of the gangsters called out, turning to face Will while walking to meet him. Will continued on wordlessly, sizing up his opponents now that he had a better view. 

“I’m gonna give ya three seconds, then I'm gonna cut ya limb for limb, a’ight?” The same figure was moving ever closer to Will, by now leaving only about ten feet between them. He was now flanked by his four accomplices, who had also begun moving. “Three… two… o-”

The lead bandit’s countdown was cut short as Will surged forward with inhuman speed, planting his longsword firmly into the man’s chest, sinking half the blade deep. The warrior stared down at it for a moment, aghast, before his killer yanked it out and, using the momentum to spin, cleanly beheaded him in one smooth motion. The other men looked and saw their attacker’s blade was no longer black, but instead it seemed to radiate blue light down its length, a sickly glow. The same light seemed to come from all over the young Barbarian’s skin, no longer limited to his eyes and tattoo. Using their surprise to his advantage, he leaped swiftly to the side, bringing his blade down onto another gangster. The man tried to bring up a dagger to parry, but the Barbarian’s blow was swung with such strength and speed that he could not block it, and he planted his blade firmly in the man’s shoulder, twisting it in the wound before bringing it back up and chopping again, severing the man’s arm. Undeterred by the man’s haunting scream, he brought his next strike down across the man’s chest, dealing the final blow and sending him toppling to the ground, silenced.

By now, the other three had collected themselves, and had readied their weapons. The most confident of them, a big, bearded man with a warhammer, moved forward and made a wide swing for his attacker’s side. The Barbarian anticipated the attack and danced back, letting the swing go clear. The weight of the hammer pulled the big warrior off balance, and the smaller man took advantage, dashing in and bringing his sword up in one neat move, planting it into the man’s throat. Blood spurted out of neck and mouth, coating the Barbarian’s arm and face as the man coughed and choked. Knowing he had to keep moving, he withdrew his blade and let the large man fall to his knees, then keel over entirely, dead. His two friends looked terrified and, with a look between themselves then back at the blood-coated barbarian slayer, both turned and made to run, but Will was on the first in an instant. Snatching one by the shoulder and spinning him around, his attacker brought up his sword, planting it right up to the hilt into the man’s gut. The Barbarian’s rage-filled, glowing stare went deep into the other man’s eyes as he watched the life fade from them. Without pulling off the other man, the glowing warrior drew his hand crossbow and raised it, releasing a bolt that whizzed through the air, planting itself firmly in the fleeing man’s thigh. He cried out in pain and slowed, yanking the bolt from his now crippled leg. After a moment, he saw the looming figure over him.

“P-please, you don't need to do this. I swear, I'll go and I’ll, I’ll, I’ll-” The man’s begging was cut short as the Barbarian, in one large chopping motion, brought up his blade and relieved the man of his head. As he stared down at the body, breathing heavily, his rage began to fade. The blue glow subsided, and Will was left standing, alone in the dark and heavy rain, coated in blood staring at the corpse. 

“This isn't right,” he said simply to himself, closing his eyes and turning his face up. The rain hit it relentlessly and painfully. The blood to begin to run anew, but Will no longer cared. He has only one thing on his mind. His life’s principle, now seemingly abandoned, lost.

_ Protector _ .


End file.
